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Continuing learning when not in the classroom for grades nine through 12

Teach development in learning skills in different settings.

Even when children are not in school, they can continue their development in learning skills. Michigan State University Extension believes parents are their children’s first teacher. There are many ways we can incorporate learning through our daily activities and routines.

As our children move into their teen years, as parents, our involvement in student schooling usually declines dramatically. It is clear that adolescents still need our guidance. They need to know that we care about them. At this stage in their life, they need to expand and continue to work on their problem solving skills. They need to learn at a young age that there will always be problems in life and the need to know how to handle them in a positive way.

Here are six tips on how we can work with them for problem solving at home and school:

What is the problem? We need to state what the problem is and if there is a conflict.

What can be done about it? Brainstorm as many solutions as you can come up with. Make sure we do not judge any of them as right or wrong.

What are the good and bad points to each solution? What are the pros and cons of each one? During this discussion, they may come up with other ideas that were not thought of.

Make the decision. At this time pick one or two solution. Now discuss why the selection was made.

Put the decision to work and to the test. Talk about it in advance, what will happen, what we should expect and what obstacle’s might we expect.

How did it go? This is the evaluation of their solution. Did it work, what changes might we look at next time and it is possible that the solution might not work in real life.

After working with one problem, have your teenager move onto another problem. The more they use these six steps, the easier it gets. There are many problems in life that come up. Teenager may ask questions like, why is it bad to smoke, why can’t I go to the party, what happens if I don’t get enough sleep or when does the garbage get taken out? We can incorporate these steps into our everyday life.

Teenagers also need to understand their emotions. When do they get angry, what action do they take and how they can calm themselves down. Also have them look at their common sense skills. We are not born with them, we learn them from experiences we have bad or good. We learn from our mistakes. This is why it is so important to incorporate the six steps of problem-solving in our daily life.

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August 3, 2016 | Kylie Rymanowicz | In your quest for preparing your children for life in the real world, providing them with self-directed, engaged opportunities for learning can teach them valuable skills.